Feeling Faith in Divine Purpose
“I trust that life will unfold according to your Divine plan, with a purposeful design, beyond my comprehension.” ~ Isabella Ricci, in The Rogue Scorpion
I had the privilege of another interview with Valeria T. Koopman, host of the Freedom to Feel YouTube platform. During our conversation, “Your Authentic Purpose: To Love and Accept Yourself Unconditionally,” we covered a lot of ground. From spirituality and the meaning of life, to building resilience and overcoming adversity. In today’s blog, I’m going to delve deeper into the messages we touched on and share glimpses into the heart of my soon-to-launch novel, The Rogue Scorpion.
Freedom was an integral topic that Valeria and I discussed at some length. When asked what freedom means to me, I answered, “we experience freedom when we allow ourselves to feel and express our authentic emotions, when we love and accept ourselves, and when we recognize we can choose how we think, feel, speak and behave.”
I believe we access freedom through awareness, mindfulness, and making conscious choices. We maintain freedom by having a daily, consistent mindfulness practice and by making choices that are in alignment with our authentic purpose, beliefs and values. We integrate freedom when we apply our awareness to how we live, in how we manifest our purpose into reality.
I am a storyteller who writes from the heart. That is my authentic purpose. I believe my heart is channeled to receive messages from the Divine through my intuition. I feel called to give, express and receive love.
In my first novel, The Healing I told the story of Cate Henderson’s transformational journey towards self-love and living her authentic life after leaving an abusive relationship. Along the way, she discovers that her healing isn’t a place to arrive at, and it isn’t something someone else can give her; it is a place she discovers, deep inside. It is an inward journey, of the soul.
In my second novel, The Holding, I told the story behind what led to Cate being in an abusive relationship. I dealt with the difficult themes of trauma and abuse, and how post-trauma can lead to low self-esteem. I wrote about the power of unconditional love to transform trauma into resilience by sharing the story of Cate’s relationship with her family, with a focus on the special bond she had with her father, William.
In The Healing & The Holding Companion Journal, I included prompts that explore formative experiences in early childhood, family of origin, unconditional love and acceptance. I encouraged people to recognize their unique strengths, gifts and talents and to examine their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of self to identify core beliefs and values. I focused on creating healthy habits and routines and setting affirmations, goals and intentions.
My third novel, The Rogue Scorpion, launches on April 23, 2023. In this story, I wrote about living an authentic life through the life events of my main character, Isabella Ricci. An artist with an adventurous spirit, she searches to discover her purpose, to trust in her intuition, and to live in a way that honours who she is; a deeply spiritual and emotionally sensitive human being.
In the dedication for The Rogue Scorpion, I wrote, “to the Isabella’s in our world, who see negative life experiences as opportunities for growth.” As a proponent of healing, and a spiritual being herself, Valeria resonated with Isabella’s quest to uncover her authentic purpose and find deeper meaning in her spiritual practice. Valeria asked me to share a key message in the story, and I told her about the scorpion’s symbolic meaning, to be wary of venomous people or situations in your life, to protect yourself and be discerning in who you trust.
When we’re introduced to Isabella Ricci, she is a young artist in her early twenties, struggling to find her place in the world. The art scene in her hometown of Winnipeg is difficult without connections or a formal education, both of which Isabella lacks. Instead of pursuing her heart’s desire to be an artist, she’s working as a server in a tavern. Feeling dissatisfied with her job and a lack of fulfilment from the Bible teachings of her youth, Isabella yearns for something deeper.
By the end of the first chapter, Isabella is already following her intuition and honouring her adventurous spirit, on a plane bound for Bangkok, Thailand. Her resilience is challenged after a traumatic event on the island of Ko Samet. When she finds out her father is unwell, she returns home to Winnipeg, but it isn’t long before Isabella’s searching takes her to Vancouver Island and then onto Panama.
In Panama, Isabella feels in flow with the laid-back energy. She makes an inward decision to extend her stay, and ends up getting a job teaching English as a second language. She makes friends with her co-worker, Catalina. Isabella’s life continues to shift, from a constant series of battles, into flow. Her bond with Catalina deepens and she discovers love where she never expected it.
In relationship with Catalina, Isabella learns what unconditional love in a partnership feels like for the first time in her life. In the early days, Catalina tells her, “I’m not going to make any promises or pledges; I don’t operate like that. But I will love you and be good to you, as long as we choose to be together.” From that moment, Catalina demonstrates her commitment and acceptance by supporting Isabella in all of her choices, including her desire to become an artist.
Another meaningful topic of discussion Valeria and I engaged in was how human beings access intuition. We agreed that opportunities often come in the stillness and quiet of meditation and prayer. We also shared the opinion that spending time in nature helps us to feel our connection with the world. In The Rogue Scorpion, Isabella uses her sketchbook journal to reflect on her thoughts and feelings. “I think you’ve always trusted your heart and followed your intuition, so if you take some time to be still and listen, the answers will be revealed to you.”
Two humans on a spiritual journey, Valeria and I agree that having faith in yourself and trusting life are vital to creating peace and joy. We both believe that everyone can turn their dreams into a reality from the foundation of faith in our Creator, in Divine purposefulness and wisdom.
At one point in the interview, I shared my belief that while a loving relationship is a gift worth treasuring, you can’t find love for yourself through the love of someone else, it has to come from inside you. In The Rogue Scorpion, Isabella has this flash of insight during her yoga practice. “I had the coolest vision. I saw the word compassion in golden letters again, but this time I sensed I need to show compassion towards myself, just like you’ve been telling me.”
As Isabella learns to love and accept herself unconditionally, her focus shifts and her artwork matures. Her bold use of colour and form evoke emotion and a willingness to be vulnerable. She had to let go of old stories from the past about her talent as an artist before she could step into her future and claim the success and recognition she desired.
Without giving too much away, I would like to end with a quote from Isabella’s prayer. “With your spirit in my heart, I’m never alone… I trust that life will unfold according to your Divine plan, with a purposeful design, beyond my comprehension.” The earth is abundant and there is room for all of us to live in love, peace, and harmony.
COMING UP…
Books & Projects:
· The Rogue Scorpion launches April 23, 2023. It is now available for pre-order on Amazon.ca , Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes & Noble, and Chapters-Indigo.
· All three of my previous books are available online at Amazon, Chapters-Indigo and Barnes & Noble. You can also find them at select Chapters-Indigo and El Hombre de la Mancha bookstores.
Reviews & Interviews:
· April 06: Interview with Valeria T. Koopman Fit for Joy Freedom to Feel: Your Authentic Purpose: To Love and Accept Yourself Unconditionally
· April 21: Author Q&A with Laura Smith of Laura’s Books & Blogs
· April 23: New Goodreads & Amazon reviews from Valeria Teles
· April 24: Author Q&A Interview with Indie View
· April 25: Interview with Anne O’Connell of OC Publishing Author Journey @ 1 pm EST
· April 27: Interview with Tea Time with Miss Liz 3 pm EST
· April 27: Interview with Dr. Jacalyn USA Global TV's Corner Bookstore, 12 pm EST
· You can read reviews or listen to interviews on my website.
Events:
· Thursday, April 20 @ 5 pm Author Signing Event at El Hombre de la Mancha Coronado La Terrazas Mall location.
· Sunday, April 23 @ 5 pm The Rogue Scorpion Launch Party at Luna Rossa Restaurant in Coronado.
· Thursday, May 11 @ 5 pm Author Signing Event at El Hombre de la Mancha Panama City Multiplaza mall location.
· Stay in touch for all the details.
YouTube Channel:
· Watch The Rogue Scorpion trailer.
· Watch The Holding trailer.
· Watch The Healing trailer.